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Background: Ultra‐high dose rate (FLASH) radiation has been reported to efficiently suppress tumor growth while sparing normal tissue; however, the mechanism of the differential tissue sparing effect is still not known. Oxygen has long been known to profoundly impact radiobiological responses, and radiolytic oxygen depletion has been considered to be a possible cause or contributor to the FLASH phenomenon. Purpose: This work investigates the impact of tissue pO2 profiles, oxygen depletion per unit dose (g), and the oxygen concentration yielding half‐maximum radiosensitization (the average of its maximum value and one) (k) in tumor and normal tissue. Methods: We developed a model that considers the dependent relationship between oxygen depletion and change of radiosensitivity by FLASH irradiation. The model assumed that FLASH irradiation depletes intracellular oxygen more rapidly than it diffuses into the cell from the extracellular environment. Cell survival was calculated based on the linear quadratic‐linear model and the radiosensitivity related parameters were adjusted in 1 Gy increments of the administered dose. The model reproduced published experimental data that were obtained with different cell lines and oxygen concentrations, and was used to analyze the impact of parameter uncertainties on the radiobiological responses. This study expands the oxygen depletion analysis of FLASH to normal human tissue and tumor based on clinically determined aggregate and individual patient pO2 profiles. Results: The results show that the pO2 profile is the most essential factor that affects biological response and analyses based on the median pO2 rather than the full pO2 profile can be unreliable and misleading. Additionally, the presence of a small fraction of cells on the threshold of radiobiologic hypoxia substantially alters biological response due to FLASH oxygen depletion. We found that an increment in the k value is generally more protective of tumor than normal tissue due to a higher frequency of lower pO2 values in tumors. Variation in the g value affects the dose at which oxygen depletion impacts response, but does not alter the dose‐dependent response trends, if the g value is identical in both tumor and normal tissue. Conclusions: The therapeutic efficacy of FLASH oxygen depletion is likely patient and tissue‐dependent. For breast cancer, FLASH is beneficial in a minority of cases; however, in a subset of well oxygenated tumors, a therapeutic gain may be realized due to induced normal tissue hypoxia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the image-based visual servoing (IBVS) control problem with an uncalibrated camera, unknown dynamics, and constraints. A novel data-driven uncalibrated IBVS (UIBVS) strategy is proposed, incorporated with the Koopman-based model predictive control (KMPC) algorithm and the adaptive robust Kalman filter (ARKF). First, to alleviate the need for calibration of the camera's intrinsic and extrinsic parameters, the ARKF with an adaptive factor is utilized to estimate the image Jacobian matrix online, thereby eliminating the laborious camera calibration procedures and improving robustness against camera disturbances. Then, a data-driven MPC strategy is proposed, wherein the unknown nonlinear dynamic model is learned using the Koopman operator theory, resulting in a linear Koopman prediction model. Only input–output data are used to construct the prediction model, and hence, the proposed approach is robust against model uncertainties. Furthermore, with a symmetric quadratic cost function, the proposed approach solves the quadratic programming problem online, and visibility constraints as well as joint torque constraints are taken into account. As a result, the proposed KMPC scheme can be implemented in real time, and the UIBVS performance degradation which arises from the control torque constraints can be avoided. Simulations and comparisons for a 2-DOF robotic manipulator demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach. Simulation results further validate that the computation time of the proposed approach is comparable to the one of kinematic-based methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the most promising future generation green ship, hybrid energy ship power systems (HESPS) have gradually attracted attention. However, the integration of new energy including wind energy and solar energy, raises key challenges in designing a suit optimal dispatch for HESPS under different navigation conditions. Based on this, an optimal dispatch strategy using the improved Non-dominated Sorting Genetic (NSGA-II) algorithm is proposed. Firstly, an integrated HESPS model consisting of diesel power generation system, energy storage system (ESS), wind power generation system (WPGS) and photovoltaic power generation system is established. Based on this, a multi-objective optimization strategy is proposed to reduce the cost and greenhouse gas emissions. Through the design of crossover operator and mutation operator, an improved NSGA-II is developed to find optimal solutions. Finally, three cases are presented to test the performance of proposed optimal dispatch strategy. Compared with traditional NSGA-II and multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO), the indicator of Hypervolume, Proportion of independent solutions, Generational Distance (GD) and Inverted Generational Distance can be improved at least 0.39%, 0.18%, 1.85% and 15.87%. At the same time, the corresponding cost and energy efficiency operational index (EEOI) of HESPS can be reduced by 13.17% and 17.53%. • Hybrid energy ship model including DGs, ESS, WPGS, PV etc., is explored. • A novel optimal dispatch strategy using the improved NSGA-II is proposed. • Compared with existing methods, optimization performance can be improved. • EEOI and reduce greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced by 13.17% and 17.53%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most challenge of influence maximization (IM) is to locate a finite set of influencers while maximizing the influence dissemination in a social network. Due to the increasingly widespread and complex application scenarios of IM problem, how to solve the problem effectively remains as a prominent research hotspot. However, most of the existing IM algorithms tend to prioritize either lightweight computational time or solution accuracy, which are hard to be acquired simultaneously. Therefore, considering the trade-off between efficiency and effectiveness, a novel discrete hybrid optimizer by integrating butterfly optimization algorithm (BOA) with differential evolution (DE), named DBOA-DE, is proposed in this paper. An adaptive probability is designed to guide the two operations in the hybrid optimizer, where BOA shows excellent exploratory characteristics by simulating the behavior of butterfly swarms, while DE performs local exploitation through mutation and crossover procedures. Furthermore, in expectation of enhancing the solution accuracy, an improved local search policy is conceived to avoid DBOA-DE from falling into local optimum. Extensive experiments on six real-world social networks show that DBOA-DE outperforms baseline algorithms on influence propagation while maintaining acceptable efficiency, which validate the promising effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed algorithm for IM problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The natural mineral-based CoSbS compound has been identified as a potential candidate material for thermoelectric power generation. In this report, the solid solutions of CoSb 1−x S 1−x Se 2x (x ≤ 0.2) were constructed, and their electrical and thermal properties were studied at the temperatures ranging from 323 to 823 K. The results show that the dual doping of Se on Sb and S sites not only tunes the carrier concentration but also modifies the electronic structure, thereby optimizing the power factor of CoSbS effectively. Meanwhile, both the mass and the strain field fluctuation caused by the substitution of Se for both Sb and S strongly suppress the thermal conductivity of CoSbS, and finally make an enhanced zT ∼0.3 for CoSb 0.8 S 0.8 Se 0.4 at 823 K. In particular, the maximum averaged zT from 323 to 823 K in this study reaches ∼0.2, far exceeding the results of Se doping at single Sb or S site in CoSbS. These results indicate that dual doping at Sb and S sites via Se is an effective approach to make better thermoelectric performance for CoSbS. • Thermoelectric compound CoSbS with dual defects of Se Sb and Se S was constructed. • The carrier concentration and electronic structure of CoSbS were modified effectively by introducing of Se Sb and Se S defects. • An enhanced zT avg was obtained for CoSbS with Se Sb and Se S defects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence maximization problem that has caused great attention in social network analysis aims at selecting a small set of influential spreaders so that the information cascade triggered by the seed set is maximized. The majority of the existing works mainly focus on developing single-stage seeding strategies that would ignite all the seeds before the influence spread. However, it cannot depict the scenarios of the practical, where ones would like to make further decisions based on observed activation. In this paper, we investigate the policies for the intractable sequential influence maximization problem. A Q-learning-driven discrete differential evolution algorithm based on the reinforcement Q-learning model, which is treated as a parameter controller to adaptively adjust the parameters during the evolution of the algorithm, is proposed. The policy distributes the seeding actions over the spreading process by estimating the latest node status of the network dynamically. Extensive simulations are conducted on six social networks of the practical, and the findings demonstrate the superiority and effectiveness of the hybrid meta-heuristic algorithm compared with the state-of-the-art methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibacterial materials with high hydrophobicity have drawbacks such as protein adsorption, bacterial contamination, and biofilm formation, which are responsible for some serious adverse health events. Therefore, antibacterial materials with high hydrophilicity are highly desired. In this paper, UV‐curable antibacterial materials are prepared from silicone−containing Choline chloride (ChCl) functionalized hyperbranched quaternary ammonium salts (QAS) and tri−hydroxylethyl acrylate phosphate (TAEP). The materials show high hydrophilic performance because their water contact angle is as low as 19.3°. The materials also exhibit quite high antibacterial efficiency against S. aureus over 95.6%, fairly high transmittance over 90%, and good mechanical performance with tensile strength as high as 6.5 MPa. It reveals that it is a feasible strategy to develop antibacterial materials with low hydrophobicity from silicone‐modified ChCl‐functionalized hyperbranched QAS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Fe/Co co-doped metal organic gels were prepared using solvothermal technique. • Synergistic effect of PMS activation and photocatalysis promotes ROS generation. • The synergistic system exhibits efficient degradation activity against NOR. • Intermediate identification and T.E.S.T calculations verify ecotoxicity fade. • The system exhibited antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus. A strategically fabricated cobalt-doped iron-based metal–organic gel (CFM) synergistically promotes peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation and visible light-induced photocatalysis to remove norfloxacin (NOR). Cobalt incorporation into the metal–organic gel significantly optimizes its electronic structure, leading to the exceptional performance of CFM in synergistically activating PMS, amplifying visible light absorption, and enhancing photoinduced charge separation efficiency. The Vis/50 %-CFM/PMS system enables a NOR removal rate of up to 96.8 % within 60 min and a total organic carbon (TOC) removal rate of 78.3 %, signifying excellent decontamination performance. Exhibiting robust mineralization potential, the Vis/CFM/PMS system has undergone comprehensive analysis of the intermediary degradation process using Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations. The toxicity of degradation intermediates was assessed employing the quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) model. In addition, the Vis/CFM/PMS system showed antibacterial effects against E. coli and S. aureus. This investigation furnishes a novel perspective toward developing innovative PMS activation photocatalyst coupling systems for environmental remediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The μ-opioid receptor-biased agonist theory holds that G io protein signaling mediates the analgesic effect of opioids and the related side effects via the β-arrestin2 signaling pathway. A series of μ-opioid-biased agonists have been developed in accordance with this theory, and the FDA has approved TRV130 (as a representative of biased agonists) for marketing. However, several reports have raised the issue of opioid side effects associated with the use of agonists. In this study, five permeable peptides were designed to emulate 11 S/T phosphorylation sites at the μ-opioid receptor (MOR) carboxyl-terminal. In vitro experiments were performed to detect the activation level of G proteins from the cAMP inhibition assay and the β-arrestin2 recruitment by the BRET assay. Designed peptides might effectively interfere with the activation of the G io and β-arrestin2 pathways when combined with morphine. The resulting morphine-induced tolerance, respiratory inhibition, and constipation in mice showed that the β-arrestin2 pathway was responsible for morphine tolerance while the G io signaling pathway was involved with respiratory depression and constipation and that these side effects were significantly related to phosphorylation sites S363 and T370. This study may provide new directions for the development of safer and more effective opioid analgesics, and the designed peptides may be an effective tool for exploring the mechanism by which μ-opioid receptors function, with the potential of reducing the side effects that are associated with clinical opioid treatment. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate photovoltaic power prediction is important to ensure stable and safe operation of microgrids. However, due to the high volatility of photovoltaic power data, the prediction accuracy of traditional prediction models is often unsatisfactory. To ensure stable operation of microgrids, this study proposes a combined improved extreme gradient boosting-kernel extreme learning machine short-term photovoltaic power prediction model consisting of multidimensional similar day clustering and dual decomposition. Initially, gray relation analysis, Pearson correlation coefficient, and Kmeans++ are used for clustering to obtain high-precision similar days. Subsequently, a dual signal decomposition model based on variational modal decomposition and complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition with adaptive noise is proposed. Finally, predictions are made using a combination of predictive models with complementary strengths and weaknesses, and the prediction results of each component are fitted with under three weather conditions, the average root mean square error is reduced by 78.02%,62.99%, and 62.48%, and the average mean absolute error is reduced by 82.55%, 71.13%, and 67.07% in comparison with the baseline model. The results show that the model is effective in improving the prediction accuracy in a variety of different environments. • A new short-term photovoltaic power generation prediction model was developed. • Using GRA, PCC, Kmeans++ for multidimensional similar day clustering. • Innovatively introduced PE into the VMD-PE-CEEMDAN dual decomposition method. • Comparative analysis in different environments emphasizes the reliability of the combined models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weak bonds usually make macromolecules stronger; therefore, they are often used to enhance the mechanical strength of polymers. Not enough studies have been reported on the use of weak bonds in flame retardants. A water-soluble polyelectrolyte complex composed of polyethyleneimine (PEI), sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) and melamine (MEL) was designed and utilized to treat bio-based polyamide 56 (PA56) by a simple three-step process. It was found that weak bonds cross-linked the three compounds to a 3D network structure with MEL on the surface of the coating under mild conditions. The thermal stability and flame retardancy of PA56 fabrics were improved by the controlled coating without losing their mechanical properties. After washing 50 times, PA56 still kept good flame retardancy. The cross-linking network structure of the flame retardant enhanced both the thermal stability and durability of the fabric. STPP acted as a catalyst for the breakage of the PA56 molecular chain, PEI facilitated the char formation and MEL released non-combustible gases. The synergistic effect of all compounds was exploited by using weak bonds. This simple method of developing structures with 3D cross-linking using weak bonds provides a new strategy for the preparation of low-cost and environmentally friendly flame retardants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Network-group targets are a set of objectives that adhere to a shared communication protocol, perform common tasks, and exhibit relatively coordinated movements. Typically, network-group targets emit radar and communication signals. However, they often employ a silent mode to evade our perception. Despite this, they continue to exchange data through their communication networks. By intercepting the communication signals of these targets, this paper proposes a method for estimating the state and network topology of network-group targets based on random finite set (RFS) theory. This method is based on the modeling of network-group targets using a labeled multi-Bernoulli (LMB) RFS. In state estimation, the usual method involves extracting the localization parameters from the signals in the first step and use these parameters for target tracking in the second step. This study focused on estimating the kinematic states of network-group targets using communication signals containing delay and Doppler information received by multiple mobile sensor platforms. The proposed method considers the coherency between frequency-hopping pulses in the signals, resulting in an improved estimation performance. In addition, considering that network-group targets require network access for information exchange, graph theory concepts were utilized to estimate the network topology of network-group targets by address measurement. The simulation results validated the effectiveness of the proposed method and demonstrated its superior performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virus like particles (VLPs) have been well recognized as one of the most important vaccine platforms due to their structural similarity to natural viruses to induce effective humoral and cellular immune responses. Nevertheless, lack of viral nucleic acids in VLPs usually leads the vaccine candidates less efficient in provoking innate immune against viral infection. Here, we constructed a biomimetic dual antigen hybrid influenza nanovaccines THM-HA@Mn with robust immunogenicity via in situ synthesizing a stimulator of interferon genes (STING) agonist Mn 3 O 4 inside the cavity of a recombinant Hepatitis B core antigen VLP (HBc VLP) having fused SpyTag and influenza M2e antigen peptides (Tag-HBc-M2e, THM for short), followed by conjugating a recombinant hemagglutinin (rHA) antigen on the surface of the nanoparticles through SpyTag/SpyCatcher ligating. Such inside Mn 3 O 4 immunostimulator-outside rHA antigen design, together with the chimeric M2e antigen on the HBc skeleton, enabled the synthesized hybrid nanovaccines THM-HA@Mn to well imitate the spatial distribution of M2e/HA antigens and immunostimulant in natural influenza virus. In vitro cellular experiments indicated that compared with the THM-HA antigen without Mn 3 O 4 and a mixture vaccine consisting of THM-HA + MnOx, the THM-HA@Mn hybrid nanovaccines showed the highest efficacies in dendritic cells uptake and in promoting BMDC maturation, as well as inducing expression of TNF-α and type I interferon IFN-β. The THM-HA@Mn also displayed the most sustained antigen release at the injection site, the highest efficacies in promoting the DC maturation in lymph nodes and germinal center B cells activation in the spleen of the immunized mice. The co-delivery of immunostimulant and antigens enabled the THM-HA@Mn nanovaccines to induce the highest systemic antigen-specific antibody responses and cellular immunogenicity in mice. Together with the excellent colloid dispersion stability, low cytotoxicity, as well as good biosafety, the synthetic hybrid nanovaccines presented in this study offers a promising strategy to design VLP-based vaccine with robust natural and adaptive immunogenicity against emerging viral pathogens. [Display omitted] • Mn nanoadjuvant was in situ bio-mineralized inside recombination HBc VLP. • THM-HA@Mn hybrid influenza nanovaccine was fabricated with HA and M2e as antigens. • The nanovaccines inmate the spatial distribution of antigens and adjuvant in natural influenza virus. • Hybrid nanovaccines promote the maturation of DC both in vitro and in vivo. • Hybrid nanovaccines induce robust antibodies and T cell immunity against influenza. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time-varying metasurfaces offer an efficient means of controlling nonlinear harmonics by manipulating component geometries and modulating signals. This ability renders them valuable across various fields, such as wireless communication, radar sensing, and biological monitoring. However, most of the energy in time-varying metasurfaces is concentrated in the fundamental wave, as well as scattered at various harmonic orders, which reduces the energy efficiency at the desired harmonic. Existing approaches have employed time-varying coding digital metasurfaces to achieve efficient harmonic conversion but are primarily designed for reflection. Reflection-based designs require a feed source to excite the metasurface, which can cause certain shielding effects and limit their application in specific scenarios. Thus, designing transmissive time-varying coding digital metasurfaces for efficient harmonic conversion is currently an urgent problem that needs to be addressed. To solve this problem, this paper develops a time-varying coding digital double-layered Huygens' metasurface, which achieves efficient conversion of the desired transmitted harmonics. The unit structure of the metasurface consists of a pair of reverse-symmetric split rings located on the upper and lower sides of a dielectric substrate, enabling nearly non-reflective Huygens' resonance. Based on a continuous periodic phase modulation strategy, we achieved efficient conversion of transmitted harmonics by loading a time-varying voltage (phase) modulation signal with a 5-bit resolution bit width onto the designed double-layered Huygens' metasurface. This study presents a solution for designing a transmissive time-varying coding digital metasurface to achieve efficient conversion of harmonics, thereby enhancing the application capabilities of time-varying coding digital metasurfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The solar array drive assembly (SADA) slip ring is a critical link that provides electrical power and electric signal transmission between solar arrays and satellite power systems, which is prone to arc faults in the space environment. If these arc faults cannot be detected and eliminated quickly enough, they will seriously threaten the safety of the satellite power system and the satellite. In this paper, a fast arc detection method based on fractal dimension is proposed that adapts to different operating modes of power systems. The detection method collects the current differential signal data flowing through the SADA slip ring, and, according to the trend of the fractal dimension change in this signal, the fault identification algorithm is designed for different operating modes of the power system to achieve real-time and rapid identification of arc faults. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated using test data under several different fault conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • BiVO 4 /Ag 3 PO 4 /Ag ternary photoanode are obtained by annealing of the composite BiVO 4 /Ag 3 PO 4 heterojunction. • Annealed BiVO 4 /Ag 3 PO 4 /Ag photoanode exhibited increased photocurrent density due to the light trapping and crystal quality enhanced. • The compounding of FeOOH as cocatalyst to yield BiVO 4 /Ag 3 PO 4 /Ag/FeOOH photoanode had improved photocurrent density and excellent stability. Bismuth vanadate (BiVO 4) is a promising metal oxide photoabsorber for photoanode applications but is limited by its relatively short hole diffusion length resulting in severe charge complexation and limited performance. Herein, Ag 3 PO 4 was compounded on BiVO 4 through photodeposition of Ag followed by solution oxidation. The annealing of the composite BiVO 4 /Ag 3 PO 4 heterojunction at 400 °C precipitated some Ag from Ag 3 PO 4 on BiVO 4 /Ag 3 PO 4 to form a new ternary photoanode BiVO 4 /Ag 3 PO 4 /Ag. Compared to the unannealed sample, the light trapping and crystal quality enhanced, resulting in increased photocurrent density of the annealed BiVO 4 /Ag 3 PO 4 photoanode (4.46 mA cm−2) by 59.9 % when compared to the unannealed photoanode (2.79 mA cm−2). To further optimize the photoanode, co-catalyst iron hydroxyl oxide (FeOOH) was deposited to yield BiVO 4 /Ag 3 PO 4 /Ag/FeOOH photoanode with maximum photocurrent density of 4.71 mA cm−2 at 1.23 V (vs. reversible hydrogen electrode, V RHE), equivalent to about 3.7-fold the value of BiVO 4 photoanode. The photoanode maintained 90.8 % of its initial current density after 3 h stability tests. Besides, the photoelectrocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B pollutant by BiVO 4 /Ag 3 PO 4 /Ag and BiVO 4 /Ag 3 PO 4 /Ag/FeOOH photoanode showed performance enhancement when compared to BiVO 4 /Ag 3 PO 4. Overall, the proposed strategy looks very promising for the rational fabrication of high-efficiency heterojunction photoanodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A pore-blocking SMA (PB-SMA) model was developed for bioparticles adsorption. • The model considers pore-blocking behavior of large-size bioparticles on adsorbent. • A parameter reflecting inaccessible ligand due to pore blocking was introduced. • The σ from PB-SMA was dozens of times smaller than that from conventional SMA model. • The model is applicable to bioparticles adsorption on different types of adsorbents. The steric mass-action (SMA) model has been widely reported to describe the adsorption of proteins in different types of chromatographic adsorbents. Here in the present work, a pore-blocking steric mass-action model (PB-SMA) was developed for the adsorption of large-size bioparticles, which usually exhibit the unique pore-blocking characteristic on the adsorbent and thus lead to a fraction of ligands in the deep channels physically inaccessible to bioparticles adsorption, instead of being shielded due to steric hindrance by adsorbed bioparticles. This unique phenomenon was taken into account by introducing an additional parameter, L in , which is defined as the inaccessible ligand densities in the physically blocked pore area, into the PB-SMA model. This fraction of ligand densities (L in) will be deducted from the total ligand (L t) for model development, thus the steric factor (σ) in the proposed PB-SMA will reflect the steric shielding effect on binding sites by adsorbed bioparticles more accurately than the conventional SMA model, which assumes that all ligands on the adsorbent have the same accessibility to the bioparticles. Based on a series of model assumptions, a PB-SMA model was firstly developed for inactivated foot-and-mouth disease virus (iFMDV) adsorption on immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) adsorbents. Model parameters for static adsorption including equilibrium constant (K), characteristic number of binding sites (n), and steric factor (σ) were determined. Compared with those derived from the conventional SMA model, the σ values derived from the PB-SMA model were dozens of times smaller and much closer to the theoretical maximum number of ligands shielded by a single adsorbed iFMDV, indicating the modified model was more accurate for bioparticles adsorption. The applicability of the PB-SMA model was further validated by the adsorption of hepatitis B surface antigen virus-like particles (HBsAg VLPs) on an ion exchange adsorbent with reasonably improved accuracy. Thus, it is considered that the PB-SMA model would be more accurate in describing the adsorption of bioparticles on different types of chromatographic adsorbents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Besides inferior conversion efficiency, the widespread application of thermoelectric materials currently faces the challenges of the rare and high cost of constituent elements, complex and time-consuming synthesis. Therefore, it is urgent to develop facile synthesized methods and high-performance thermoelectric materials consisting of elements with earth-abundance and low cost. Meeting above partial requirement, lead sulfide (PbS) recently was identified as a potential thermoelectric material to substitute current commercial PbTe. In this paper, a one-step high-pressure method was employed to facile and fast synthesis of PbS. Trace Cl doping tunes the carrier concentration of PbS effectively, which optimizes the electrical transport properties. Further PbSe alloying sharply reduces the thermal conductivity of PbS. Therefore, an enhanced zT ∼1.0 @ 700 K was obtained for PbS doped with 0.3 at% Cl and alloyed with 25 at% PbSe, which is comparable to the commercially applied PbTe. These results indicate that high-pressure combing with Cl-doping and PbSe-alloying provide a facile method and strategy to fabricate high-performance PbS-based thermoelectric materials. • Earth-abundant and low-cost thermoelectric compound PbS was facile and fast synthesized by one-step high pressure method. • Cl doping modulates the carrier concentration of PbS and thus optimizes its electrical properties at high temperature. • The chemical bond of PbS was weaken by PbSe alloying, which induces an enhanced Hall mobility near room temperature. • The thermal conductivity of PbS was suppressed sharply by PbSe alloying. • The enhanced zT max and zT avg achieve to 1.0 and 0.67 for PbS 0.747 Cl 0.003 Se 0.25 and PbS 0.497 Cl 0.003 Se 0.5, respectively [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel L1 2 precipitation-strengthened Co 51.3 Ni 19.5 Cr 19 Al 6.4 Ti 3.4 Nb 0.4 medium-entropy alloy (MEA) with excellent combination of large ductility and high strength was prepared via direct casting. The coherent ultrafine L1 2 precipitates particles (∼30 nm) with a volume fraction of 65% formed uniformly in the FCC matrix after heat-treatment, which endows this newly-designed MEA with superior tensile properties, i.e., a yield strength of ∼710 MPa, an ultimate tensile strength of ∼1045 MPa and a uniform elongation of ∼31.3%, respectively. The blocking effect of ultra-fine L1 2 precipitates significantly contributes to the high strength of the Co 51.3 Ni 19.5 Cr 19 Al 6.4 Ti 3.4 Nb 0.4 MEA. In addition, deformation-induced nano-spaced stacking-fault networks, nano-twins and high-density Lomer-Cottrell locks facilitate the high work-hardening capacity, leading to excellent tensile ductility. This alloy design strategy can potentially be applied to many other alloys and open new avenues for designing strong yet ductile materials for engineering applications. [Display omitted] • A novel L1 2 precipitation-strengthened high entropy alloy with excellent performance was prepared via directly casting. • The coherent ultrafine L1 2 precipitates particles with a volume fraction of 65% was uniformly formed in the FCC matrix. • Deformation-induced nano-spaced stacking-fault networks, nano-twins and high-density Lomer-Cottrell locks facilitate the excellent tensile ductility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The first high-energy X-ray FLASH radiotherapy platform (PARTER) has been upgraded. • 6–8 MVs X-ray is available for FLASH irradiation at dose rate of 40–1000 Gy/s. • Treatment system and dosimetry were improved to provide verified high-performance FLASH X-rays. • The FLASH effect was demonstrated by numerous experiments using PARTER's MV X-rays. • The accelerator is being upgraded for FLASH irradiation at 80-cm SSD at the end of 2025. Recent studies indicated that ultrahigh dose rate (FLASH) radiation can reduce damage to normal tissue while maintaining anti-tumour activity compared to conventional dose rate (CONV) radiation. This paper provides a comprehensive description of the current status of the Platform for Advanced Radiotherapy Research (PARTER), which serves as the first experimental FLASH platform utilizing megavoltage X-rays and has facilitated numerous experiments. PARTER was established in 2019 based on a superconducting linac to support experimental FLASH studies using megavoltage X-rays. Continuous upgrades have been made to the accelerator, collimators, flattening filters, monitors, other auxiliary devices, and irradiation process in order to achieve optimal results. Passive and active dosimeters are employed for measuring dose distribution and to ensure traceability of radiation doses. The dose monitors and dosimeters demonstrate reliable performance with acceptable stability. At PARTER, the maximum mean dose rate is approximately 400 Gy/s at a surface-source distance of 20 cm (over 1000 Gy/s at smaller distances), with an instantaneous dose rate of approximately 8E5 Gy/s. Both passive and active dosimeters exhibit good linearity and agreement during FLASH X-ray irradiation. The monitors show good linearity to dose rate, with short-term fluctuations within 1.5 % for the diamond monitor. The discrepancy between measured absorbed dose and dose protocol is typically less than 4 %. The X-ray energy spectra on PARTER are comparable to those for megavoltage CONV linacs operating in flattening filter-free mode. The maximum field size of the FLASH beam is 4.5 cm × 4.5 cm. The FLASH dose profile demonstrates satisfactory flatness (1.04) and similar penumbra compared to clinical CONV linac, while the percentage depth dose curve of FLASH X-rays is steeper than that of the clinical megavoltage CONV X-ray. PARTER represents a pioneering platform for conducting megavolts FLASH X-ray irradiation in biological experiments. It effectively fulfills the requirements of preclinical research on megavoltage X-ray FLASH and undergoes continuous upgrades to meet increasingly demanding performance criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]